I just returned home after watching Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya. I decided to watch this film since the theater close to my home had no early morning shows for Dawn of the Planet of the apes. Ah boy wasn't that a mistake from my part? Don't judge me, I'm not one of those who writes crap about Bollywood films, I genuinely like Bollywood films. But when I watch overly-clichéd films like these, I make sure to let other people know about it.
It's not a bad movie but it's not good either. Is it worth watchable? Sure, if you have been enjoying watching all the clichéd romantic films Dharma productions has been slapping on us then, why not. But do read my review below.
So to start with, let me clear out one thing, which may or may not affect your decision in going for the film, that the plot isn't original. Hell, it's not even 30% original. It is an amalgamation of clichéd romantic films we have been watching in Big screens for last 20- 30 years! The Punjabi family, the big fat wedding, the forced marriage angle, fun-loving out spoken heroine(Alia in and as Kareena Kapoor of Jab We Met), to be bride falls in love with a Desi munda, desi munda going to meet the girl's family to convince for the wedding... I mean, whats up Bollywood? You have been loading us with the same BS story-line for the last two decades, the only difference is the film titles and character backgrounds.
The plot is predictable(well, surprise). You will be able to sense the climax from the time you sit for the second-half. This is a complete failure from the part of writing department. The dialogues are way too cheesy.
I think director made this film for those who is still in love with the Raj-Simran of DDLJ. This film is said to be a tribute to DDLJ, but it feels more like an unofficial remake with a few plot changes here and there. I wont go deep into that as I think I have said enough about the plot originality in the above para.
The only positive thing about the movie is the chemistry of the lead actors, which is superb. They both looked good together as they gelled perfectly on-screen. In a way it feels that their awesome on-screen chemistry went in vain due to such lousy, half-baked script.
But wait before loading all the criticism on script writer, save a bit for the *acting performance* of lead actors too. Sure, they both look good together and they both have fair-share of good moments together on- screen too, but both have been poor individually.
At least in my eyes Alia has come a long way -- from four months of liking her as a decent actress to considering her as an average actress who got a chance in the industry due to her father's connections. She tries too hard to be like Kareena Kapoor in the film. I would have appreciated her if she even did 50% of what Kareena did in Jab We Met.
When you watch Varun Dhawan in this film, you will be forced to think that how this guy got a chance in the industry and why is he trying too hard to be funny. There are quiet a lot of scenes he has overacted. It's not something you can ignore. He should take things a bit easy and choose scripts more carefully.
HSKD is a calculated effort to cash in on the stardom of Alia and Varun among the youth audience by Karan Johar.
Pluses:
Lead-actor's on-screen chemistry Few fun moments
Minuses:
Overcooked clichés Non-existence of a proper script Cheesy dialogues Fat Punjabi dad
Overall verdict: It is a tired, hackneyed story with zero originality and zero life. Perhaps with an altered script and better writing team with same cast, this film could have worked.
It's not a bad movie but it's not good either. Is it worth watchable? Sure, if you have been enjoying watching all the clichéd romantic films Dharma productions has been slapping on us then, why not. But do read my review below.
So to start with, let me clear out one thing, which may or may not affect your decision in going for the film, that the plot isn't original. Hell, it's not even 30% original. It is an amalgamation of clichéd romantic films we have been watching in Big screens for last 20- 30 years! The Punjabi family, the big fat wedding, the forced marriage angle, fun-loving out spoken heroine(Alia in and as Kareena Kapoor of Jab We Met), to be bride falls in love with a Desi munda, desi munda going to meet the girl's family to convince for the wedding... I mean, whats up Bollywood? You have been loading us with the same BS story-line for the last two decades, the only difference is the film titles and character backgrounds.
The plot is predictable(well, surprise). You will be able to sense the climax from the time you sit for the second-half. This is a complete failure from the part of writing department. The dialogues are way too cheesy.
I think director made this film for those who is still in love with the Raj-Simran of DDLJ. This film is said to be a tribute to DDLJ, but it feels more like an unofficial remake with a few plot changes here and there. I wont go deep into that as I think I have said enough about the plot originality in the above para.
The only positive thing about the movie is the chemistry of the lead actors, which is superb. They both looked good together as they gelled perfectly on-screen. In a way it feels that their awesome on-screen chemistry went in vain due to such lousy, half-baked script.
But wait before loading all the criticism on script writer, save a bit for the *acting performance* of lead actors too. Sure, they both look good together and they both have fair-share of good moments together on- screen too, but both have been poor individually.
At least in my eyes Alia has come a long way -- from four months of liking her as a decent actress to considering her as an average actress who got a chance in the industry due to her father's connections. She tries too hard to be like Kareena Kapoor in the film. I would have appreciated her if she even did 50% of what Kareena did in Jab We Met.
When you watch Varun Dhawan in this film, you will be forced to think that how this guy got a chance in the industry and why is he trying too hard to be funny. There are quiet a lot of scenes he has overacted. It's not something you can ignore. He should take things a bit easy and choose scripts more carefully.
HSKD is a calculated effort to cash in on the stardom of Alia and Varun among the youth audience by Karan Johar.
Pluses:
Lead-actor's on-screen chemistry Few fun moments
Minuses:
Overcooked clichés Non-existence of a proper script Cheesy dialogues Fat Punjabi dad
Overall verdict: It is a tired, hackneyed story with zero originality and zero life. Perhaps with an altered script and better writing team with same cast, this film could have worked.